How to Separate a Diamond Disc for Zirconia

Fake diamonds, typically made from cubic zirconia, a synthetic material similar in color and luster to diamond, are exceedingly common. The gems are inexpensive to produce and can make a fortune for the counterfeiter at the expense of the trusting buyer. Being able to tell a fake diamond for zirconia can save you an awful lot of money and regret.

Instructions

Breath Test

1

Hold the gem up to your mouth and examine it, taking note of its clarity.

2

Breath out on to the gem slowly, as if you were trying to warm your hands in the winter.

3

Observe the gem immediately after you blow on it. If the gem is a real diamond, the heat from your breath will be deflected by the stone. If it is cubic zirconia, and not a diamond, the gem will fog up -- losing a considerable amount of clarity. A fogging gem is a fake.

Newspaper Test

4

Loosen the gem from its fitting, if possible, or hold it at an angle such that there is a clear path from one end of the stone to the other which you could attempt to read through.

5

Place the gemstone on or slightly above a newspaper or similarly fine-printed reading material.

6

Read the words on the page through the stone. Since diamonds refract light too wildly for something like small printed letters to shine through as in a magnifying glass, the words should be illegible through the stone. If you can read them, the gem is likely a fake.